Postdoctoral Researcher; m​/f​/d) in Modern History

Vollzeit

Forschung und Lehre

• Bewerbungsfrist:
  4. Oktober 2026
• Veröffentlichungsdatum:
  4. September 2026
• Eintrittstermin:
  1. Dezember 2026
• Arbeitsumfang:
  Fulltime position

NEU Vollzeit Forschung und Lehre

The Horizon Europe project BLOCKADE and the Department of History at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg are looking for Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in Modern History

• Bewerbungsfrist:
  4. Oktober 2026
• Veröffentlichungsdatum:
  4. September 2026
• Eintrittstermin:
  1. Dezember 2026
• Arbeitsumfang:
  Fulltime position
• Kennziffer:

BLOCKADE (ERC Synergy Grant #) explores the two blockades of the First and Second World Wars, and their aftermaths. In these total wars, the Allies imposed a global blockade on their enemies, and the Central and Axis powers responded with blockades of their own. Over a period of six years, the BLOCKADE team, based in Trondheim, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Freiburg, will analyse the impact of blockades on households, states, corporations and the international order;

on the development of political and military strategy; on how the wars were prepared, experienced and remembered; and on how peace was made. BLOCKADE sets out to prove that these blockades are crucial to understanding not only the way the world wars were fought but also their globality and totality, their immediate effects and their long-term global repercussions. More information can be found on the project website (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..eu

The 4-year full-time (100%) postdoctoral position will be located at the Chair for Transatlantic and North American History (Dr. Elisabeth Piller) and will be part of the European Research Council project, “The Hidden Weapon. Blockade in the Era of the Two World Wars (BLOCKADE)”. The position is scheduled to start on or around 1 December 2026.

The postdoctoral researcher will focus on the work package “Atlantic Blockade and Transatlantic Strains”. The blockade aimed not only to bar critical supplies from enemies but also to isolate them from the outside world. Based on newspapers, diplomatic correspondence, the records of diaspora organisations and parliamentary debates, the work package will determine blockades’ impact on personal communication (telegraphy, mail), mobility (travel) and emotional connections across the Atlantic as well as the bitter debate about neutral rights and British/Allied power in both world wars.

It will ideally focus on the United States and at least one South American country (such as Argentina, an important trade and immigrant nation) during, among others, periods of shared neutrality (1914‑1917; 1939‑1941). As previous research focused mainly on the British ‘blacklisting’ of companies, the work package will offer a different, ‘bottom up’ approach to identify blockade’s disintegrative effects and the strains it placed on transatlantic (and domestic) relations in the Americas.

If diaspora relations are to be explored, a focus on the experience of German immigrant communities in both world wars seems especially rewarding; the successful applicant is expected to have the relevant language and research skills at, or close to, the start of the position.

The work package is one of five positions across the four BLOCKADE locations that should speak to the theme of integration and disintegration, exploring the short‑ and long‑term integrative and disintegrative effects of blockades with regard to markets, wartime societies and the international order. The team members will work together across locations to build a rich source base for BLOCKADE. In Freiburg, the postdoctoral researcher will work closely with the PI of the Freiburg team, Elisabeth Piller.

• Contribute to the project by carrying out research of high ambition and excellent quality
• Publish at least two articles relating to your work package in leading peer‑reviewed journals
• Publish at least one chapter in the project’s handbook on the history of blockades and help with the coordination and editing of that handbook
• Actively participate in the research and outreach activities of BLOCKADE
• Contribute to scientific and financial reporting to the…